diri

Diri is "to say" or "to tell", and what is said is its direct object, so it takes the accusative: li diris la veron, kion vi diris?. The person told is not the object but the recipient, and goes with al: li diris al mi. Its family is built from the root dir- by the usual endings and affixes: diro is a saying, dirita is "said", and antaŭdiri is "to foretell". Keep it apart from paroli, which is talking rather than uttering, and takes pri for the topic.